How To Speak Truckie

Truck drivers live a good amount of their lives on the road, which means they have a lot of time on their hands to come up with fun and unique terms for everyday objects and people. Some of them are used to warn other drivers about upcoming obstacles while others serve as shorthand for industry terms. Here are a few slang terms that will have you speaking like a truckie in no time.

Law Enforcement

If you’ve ever been clocked by a hairdryer and pulled over by a double one blaring its disco whistle, then you were caught speeding with a radar gun by a clearly marked highway patrol car with its siren on. Other common terms for police cars include camera car, candy car, disco tin, Evil Kinevil for an officer on a motorcycle, and double bubble for older police cars that have two round blue lights instead of light bars on the roof.

Trucks, Trailers & More

Truckies also use shorthand to talk about their own trucks and trailers as well as other vehicles out on the road. For example, a hairdresser’s car is often a convertible, a shopping trolley is a hatchback, and a ute is a utility vehicle like a pickup truck. Prime movers are often referred to as hauling units, jinkers are logging trucks, and reefers are temperature-controlled trucks. Another common term is live load, which refers to non-standard cargo like animals, food, fuel, and more.

Odds & Ends

From time to time, hoons (bad drivers) behind their tillers (steering wheels) will forget to check their speedo (speedometer) and hit their anchors (brakes), which may cause a stack (vehicle crash). If you’re a truckie involved in that incident, then you may need to visit a servo (service station) where a spanner monkey (mechanic) will work to fix your carby (carburetor) and any other damage. Once your truck is fixed, whether its bog standard (no added modifications) or sports something extra, like a cow catcher (bull-bar), you’ll be ready to kick your slush box (automatic transmission) into gear, hit the loud pedal (accelerator), and get back out on the road.